Running Out of Air
by Angie63
Summary: Tag to 12x21 Reaction to being trapped in the bunker. Dean panics, Sam takes charge. A little hurt/comfort for all of us before the finale.


Running Out of Air

Tag to 12x21

The door slammed shut just as Dean reached it. He grabbed the knob as the power went out and the locks turned. The very horrible feeling that they were trapped and left to die in their own home hit hard. Panic rose in his chest and he ran his hands through his hair. He forced himself to breathe, to stay calm. There had to be a way out but he couldn't see it. He turned around and looked down at Sam and Toni. Both of them stood looking at up at him. He nodded, confirming that they were truly locked in. Dean gripped the railing as he started back down the stairs, very aware that he was shaking and not quite sure he'd make it back down to his brother without the support. It had been awhile since he'd felt so screwed, maybe not even since that night in New Harmony. _Keep it together_ , he said to himself. _Do not fall apart._ As he reached the bottom of the stairs Sam met him, putting his hand on the back of his brother's neck and squeezing hard. _Just like Dad._ Dean suddenly wanted Dad. Many times during the time the Mark of Cain made him feel out of control, he'd wanted Dad. Many times since Mom had returned and been so not the mother he remembered or needed, Dean had longed for his father. Right now, he wanted John to be standing there, holding on to him the way Sam was, ready with a plan. Because Dean had nothing. No idea of how the hell they would fucking get out of this one.

"Hey Dean?", Sam's voice was somehow steady and low, comforting, grounding. Sam brought his other hand up to cup Dean's jaw. "Dean. We don't have a lot of time. We have to get a plan. You okay?" _When did this kid get so grown up? Get it together Dean._

Dean nodded. "I'm okay. Let's do this." For a long moment the brothers gazed at one another, jade eyes locked with emerald. Sam let go of Dean's neck and patted his face with his right hand.

"Okay. First of all we need light. We need to find every flashlight, lantern and candle we have. There should be reserve water. We need to get all of it in a container now. The ice will melt. We can drink that. We need to do a quick inventory of food stores. Put that in one place. Gather every weapon in the bunker."

 _God Sammy sounds like a general in the middle of a battle when he's surrounded by the enemy on all sides. Just like Dad._ They got busy. In the next half hour the three of them had gathered 5 flashlights, 3 lanterns and a few candles. They had three containers of water and the ice bucket melting on the counter. They had a case of bottled water. Four bags of beef jerky, 2 bags of chips, three 2 pound bags of peanut M &Ms, six apples, 2 bananas, half a bag of powdered sugar donuts, a loaf of bread, a new jar of peanut butter and a jar of grape jelly comprised the food that did not require cooking. They could survive on that. Goodness knows as kids growing up they'd survived far more than the two days they had to get out of the bunker on less than this. There was also a six pack of coke and one of beer in the fridge. Food and drink wise, they were alright, and this comforted Dean somehow, even though the words" two days" kept causing mini panic attacks every time he thought them. Toni came into the kitchen with the flashlight batteries she had found in the store room.

"These are all the batteries. Hopefully they will be enough." She wasn't sure the Winchesters trusted her and she certainly didn't trust them but they were all here together.

Sam said, "Thanks. Look, I'm just going to say this. You aren't my favorite person. You have a lot to answer for. But you're trapped here with us. And you're very clever. So if you don't give us any reason to do away with you we might just all make it out of here."

This was the kind of bluntness she could appreciate. "Right. We can sort out the rest on the outside." Never had Toni thought she had anything to fear from the Men of Letters. She knew that she was dealing with a force to be reckoned with here. The Winchester brothers united was not something she cared to cross. But she vowed to crush Ketch when she made it out, _if_ she made it out.

Dean, ever less practical than Sam fumed, "I am less inclined than my brother to see you as useful. I see you as a bitch who tortured him and brain washed my mother. The only thing saving you is the Men of Letters turned on you so I'm guessing you're as pissed off as we are right now and might be thinking you need allies. But keep this in mind, one false move and I have no problem ending you."

Sam grabbed Dean's wrist. "Dean. Let's worry about vendetta and revenge later. Right now we all need to think of any thing and everything that could be a way out. Everyone agreed?"

"Agreed", Toni replied. Dean nodded and Sam let go of him.

"There's a detailed map of the bunker in the map room. I've studied it before when we first moved in. I think our first step is to go over that. " He led the way to the large table and opened a drawer on the side. He pulled out a large rolled up floor plan and spread it out, putting a book on each end to hold it flat. "We're here." He pointed to the spot they were and continued. "The exits are the door upstairs, which we know is locked from the outside. There's the garage doors, one from the basement near the dungeon and the door that opened to Oz."

"Oz? That story about Dorothy is true?", Toni asked.

"Yes." The brothers replied in unison. Sam circled each door with the red pen he had been using the last time he had been working at the table.

"I think our best bet could be the garage. Not that they didn't lock it down too but because it's got the largest door. Less walls to penetrate. I think we should start there." Wordlessly they headed to the back hallway, where their rooms were located. Dean paused, flashlight in hand at his door. _I haven't had a room of my own since ever,_ he'd said to Sam. Were they actually losing the only home they had ever had? The only place that had ever been theirs? The very real possibility was yes. The other was no, they would die here. Painfully by suffocation. Dean leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. The world was upside down in a way he had no idea how to fix. He was overwhelmed. Tired, Worn out emotionally over Mom's betrayal, drug induced or not and the fact that he might have to watch his brother die or that Sam would be forced to watch him die again. The walls felt like they were literally closing in and Dean couldn't stop the claustrophobia that settled in. He dropped the flashlight and it clattered to the floor rolling to stop at Toni's feet. She stooped to pick it up and as she turned back she saw Sam kneeling in front of his brother. The scene before was so poignant she felt she should turn away but she was found she couldn't look away.

"I can't Sam. I got nothing. _We've_ got nothing. I think this is it Sammy. I don't think we have a snowball's chance here." Tears filled Dean's eyes and spilled over. He did not try to stop them. He didn't care if Toni saw him cry. Sam's heart broke as he looked at his brother. It had been a hard day for Dean _before_ they were trapped and left to die. Their mother's actions hurt both of them but Dean was already deeply bruised by Mary's responses since she got back.

"Dean, look man. We aren't giving up. I won't _let_ you. After we try everything we can think of if it's the end we'll go out together. But I need you to try Dean. I need you to give it every bit of whatever you have left man."

The tears were flowing unheeded. Dean was breathing fast and hard, fighting the panic, the claustrophobia. Being trapped in the bunker felt like being in his least favorite places…air vents and he'd been in plenty over the years looking for monsters. He wanted to get himself together for Sam but he couldn't. He wanted to get Sam out even if he didn't make it. "I….can't…I'm…. I'm…"

Sam sat beside him, long arms wrapped around him. He put his head on top of Dean's and said so softly Toni barely heard him. "You're scared. I am too. And that's okay. We can be scared Dean. You're feeling closed in, literally. But we _know_ how to get around here. We're just walking through the bunker man. Okay?" Dean clutched Sam's shirt , realizing once again, it didn't really matter _what_ his little brother said. It was the having him near that mattered, that helped.

"Take slow deep breaths Dean. In and out. That's it." Sam was still holding on to him and Dean could feel his heart beating. If Sam could manage maybe he could? "I gotcha. I have you Dean. I got you and you have me. We're in this _together._ "

Dean took a long ragged breath. He looked at Sam. "You and me. Together. Whatever."

Sam smiled he was so relieved to hear Dean speak if a bit shakily. "And hell if this ain't whatever", he said in a teasing tone. Dean looked at his brother's face again. He saw so much John frigging Winchester there. Sam was more like Dad than he would ever be, despite the hard way he'd tried.

Dean let go of Sam's shirt. He patted his brother . "Put a couple of Ws on the board", he whispered. Sam nodded as he got to his feet. He held out a hand to Dean, pulling him to his feet. They shared a long look and Toni did turn away. They were beautiful these too, whatever it was they had between them. She surely had no such relationship as this. It was almost too beautiful to look at.

Sam pulled Dean close for just a second and said, "As long as we're Winchesters…"

Dean finished Henry's statement. "There's always hope. I'm good Sammy. We got work to do,"

Sam's eyes teared up a little. They did, With precious time slipping away they resumed their journey to the garage. As he followed his brother who was taking the lead again, as it should be to Sam, his courage was renewed. They'd get out of this. But if they didn't, they'd be together and it would be okay.

"


End file.
